ZZ Top Still Has Legs

Posted On 15 May 2015 / 0 Comment

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They’re still bad and they’re still nationwide. They’re ZZ Top and they’ve been spreading their brand of blues and rock for over 45 years now… and they wear it well. In fact, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard have literally grown into their looks.

The trio’s visit to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park brought to an end their co-headlining tour with Jeff Beck. The Texas legends set consisted of material that encompassed their entire career and their deep roots in the blues beginning the night with “Got Me Under Pressure” and finishing the set with “Legs”.

The band then kicked things into a gear higher with a four song encore that saw Beck join them on stage for “Rough Boy”. That was followed a cover of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons”. The finished the night with “La Grange” and “Tush”.

The band’s sound has come full circle since their inception in 1969. Heavily influenced by the blues and old soul the band was popular but not quite embraced by the mainstream listener. They still had quite a few songs on the radio. In the early ‘80s they modified their sound to a more mainstream rock sound without forgoing their blues roots and introduced the world to the world of ZZ Top with Eliminator. The album blew up the charts and with the help of some clever music videos that not only showcased their musicianship; it showcased their sense of humor. And the pretty women in the videos did not hurt either.

After Eliminator there was Afterburner another rock album that garnered a pair of number one songs. As the ‘80s came to a close they slowly shifted back towards their blues roots all the while building on a fan base pleasing older fans as well as embracing newer listeners.

The opener and co-headliner of the tour was Jeff Beck. The legendary guitarist is a household name amongst music lovers but many besides his time with the Yardbirds don’t realize his impact on classic, alternative and today’s music. While a lot of his work is instrumental he has recorded with the likes if Mick Jagger, Morrissey, Roger Waters and Stevie Wonder just to rattle off a few names.

His 13-song set showed his wide diversity of style and included a number of covers from Sam Cooke (“A Change Is Gonna Come”), The Jimi Hendrix Experience (“Little Wing”) and The Beatles (“A Day In the Life”).